


Human Contact

by Sabulana



Series: Jak and Daxter Rewrites [1]
Category: Jak and Daxter
Genre: Awkwardness, Jak doesn't know how to ask for what he wants, Kissing, M/M, Skin Hunger, Torn figures it out anyway, Touch-Starved, rewrite of old fic, sometimes jak just needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-10
Updated: 2015-08-10
Packaged: 2018-04-14 01:59:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4545864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sabulana/pseuds/Sabulana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes Jak needs human contact that doesn't involve violence, but he doesn't know how to ask for it. Torn manages to oblige anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Human Contact

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Torn's Frustration](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/135882) by Sabulana. 



> This is actually a rewrite of an old fic I wrote about 11 years ago, back when I was first in the Jak and Daxter fandom. I decided to rewrite some of my old works to show just how far I've come. I'm still not brilliant, but I do think I've improved. There's a link to the original version of this above. I'm actually sorta embarrassed by most, if not all, of my old fanfics, but I figure I should post a link if I'm doing an actual comparison.
> 
> Here is some suggested listening for this version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kaIGVg1AnA   
> It's what I was listening to as I wrote it, which probably accounts for the different tone. Also I have more developed headcanons for the characters and I'm less focused on the 'omg must make them kiss' aspect of shipping, so that's had an affect as well.
> 
> I've proof-read this myself, so any mistakes are mine and I would appreciate any errors being pointed out, so I can correct them asap.

Torn impatiently paced back and forth, waiting for Jak to check in. He wasn’t worried. Young though the kid may be, he was capable enough - if you wanted explosions and general mayhem. He was reckless too, a loose cannon out for revenge. And Torn was not worrying about him.

He remembered their first meeting. He had had no idea who Jak was at the time. He looked like just another punk kid out to prove himself, and so Torn had sent him on some stupid ‘capture the flag’ mission. Either the kid would prove himself a keen member of the Underground, willing to follow orders or he would be put off by such a task - especially as it meant going outside the city’s safe zone. Of course, it hadn’t worked out like that. The boy and his rat managed to get the flag and bring down the tower, setting a precedent for just about every other task he set them. The kid was a pain in the ass, but he was a useful pain in the ass. Torn was reluctant to admit it but the kid was becoming an invaluable member of the underground, for all that Torn’s initial impression was that he was probably only going to be good for standing around looking pretty. 

And yeah, Torn thought the kid was pretty. Not that he would admit it out loud, or even let himself think about it often. There was no point in getting distracted like that. The way Jak was going, he would probably end up blowing himself and Daxter up in their search for vengeance. 

They’d probably done that already, Torn thought. Why else would they be so late checking in? He tried not to look at the time, tried to focus on putting together another plan chipping away at the Baron’s power. There were metal heads to consider as well. He had plenty of people he could use to sabotage the Baron and the KG inside the city, which would leave Jak free to take on the metal heads… assuming he had survived the current mission.

Torn growled in frustration, realising his thoughts had turned back to Jak again. “Goddamn it,” he muttered., as the door finally opened to admit the ‘Demolition Duo’.

“Bad day?” Jak greeted.

Torn scowled at them, even as he took in their exhausted appearance. Jak had a new cut on his face, but it had stopped bleeding already. Daxter appeared uninjured, but he was almost asleep on Jak’s shoulder and was remaining uncharacteristically quiet. Torn reconsidered briefing them about another mission immediately. The metal heads would wait. Not for long, but they weren’t an immediate threat. The hour was growing late anyway, and Jak would be no good to him if he was too tired to function.

“Hmm, let’s see. The Baron is still in power and the metal heads are still attacking,” Torn replied. “Yeah, it’s a bad day. Where the hell have you two been? You should have checked in as soon as you were finished.”

“Communicator broke,” Jak said, tossing the broken remains of the communicator on the table.

Torn sighed. These two went through communicators like kids went through candy. “These things don’t grow on trees, you know.” He picked a few pieces up. Maybe there were some bits intact enough to use for spares. He would let someone else figure it out though.

“They should build them sturdier,” Jak replied, shrugging. “It’s not my fault they shatter so easily.”

Torn picked up a bit of the casing, which had a hole through it. “They’re sturdy enough when they’re not being shot.” He rummaged around in one of the boxes by the wall until he found a working replacement. “Here. Take better care of this one.”

Jak shrugged, not even looking a little bit sheepish as he accepted it. The movement roused Daxter. “Hey, Jak, we still here?” The ottsel gave Torn a look that might have been a glare if he wasn’t obviously falling back asleep. “Hey, no more missions, alright? We gotta get our beauty sleep. C’mon, Jak…”

“Yeah, we’re out of here,” Jak said, turning to go.

Torn wondered where they slept at night. They didn’t stay with the Underground much, and he’d done enough digging to know there was no information on them anywhere, which likely meant they had nowhere to go. “Wait. You actually got anywhere to go?” The way Jak paused at the doorway and exchanged a look with Daxter told him everything he needed to know. “Stay here tonight. There’s plenty of beds not in use.”

“…That might not be a good idea,” Jak muttered.

“Jaaaaak. Bed. Actual bed,” Daxter whined quietly. “Just once won’t hurt, will it?”

Jak still looked uneasy, but he let Daxter make the decision. The ottsel jumped from his shoulder and made himself comfortable on a bottom bunk. He curled up on one side of the pillow, leaving enough space for Jak, who sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed to take his boots off. He cast an uncertain glance at Torn, who pretended to ignore him. Pretty soon, both Jak and Daxter were fast asleep. Whatever Jak was worried about clearly wasn’t enough to overcome the exhaustion he felt after running around the city all day.

Torn kept working for a few more hours, waiting for more reports from operatives checking in. Each time his communicator began making noise, he retreated to a back room so he didn’t disturb Jak’s sleep. The kid had looked exhausted, and if the stories about his transformations were true, then he didn’t want to risk making him cranky by waking him up.

When Torn finally decided to call it a night, he grabbed a couple bottles of beer and made his way up to the roof. Some days, it was the closest he got to going out. There was only so much time he could spend in the basement headquarters without feeling stifled. Going up to the roof wasn’t ideal, but it was out of the way of the Krimzon Guard, who would recognise him easily. The buildings in the slums weren’t as well maintained as the rest of the city, and it could be a little treacherous up there, but Torn hadn’t fallen off yet. He climbed up the ladder and out of the trapdoor, propping it open. He didn’t intend to be up there for long, but he needed fresh air for a while.

He was about halfway through the first bottle of beer when he heard footsteps on the ladder behind him. He turned, reaching for his knife automatically but relaxed as soon as he recognised Jak. “Thought you were sleeping,” he greeted.

“I don’t sleep so well these days,” replied Jak. The young renegade sat down beside Torn. “Didn’t know there was roof access here.”

“Yeah well, you don’t usually stick around.” Torn took another drink from his bottle. He glanced at Jak, then decided it didn’t matter if the kid was old enough or not, and offered him the other. With the life Jak led, Torn figured he could use a beer now and again.

Jak looked at the bottle in surprise, but still accepted it. “Thanks.” He twisted the cap off and took a hesitant drink. 

Torn watched him fidget with the label, pulling it off in little bits and letting them drift away on the breeze. “Something bothering you?” he asked.

Jak shrugged and drank with a little more confidence now that he knew what it tasted like. 

Torn sighed. “Look, I’m not the best person to talk to. I don’t have good advice, and honestly, most of the time I don’t care. You’re better off going to Tess if there isn’t anyone else.”

Jak looked at Torn, and then looked away. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times until he finally sighed and said, “It doesn’t really matter.”

Torn could tell without even trying that he was lying. The kid had a ridiculously expressive face. Daxter had said something about him being mute once, so presumably he had had to learn to use gestures and expressions to communicate. “Never play poker,” he advised Jak. “Especially not with anyone who works for Krew.”

Jak looked puzzled at the apparent non-sequitur.

“You’re practically an open book,” Torn said, gesturing at Jak’s face. “Something’s bugging you, and you want to talk - or maybe you don’t. Either way, you’ve come to me and I can tell you now that that was a terrible idea.”

“Clearly,” Jak replied in a disgusted tone. He downed the last of his beer with a grimace and stood up, leaving the bottle on the rooftop. “I’m going back inside.”

Torn watched him disappear down the ladder, before finally giving in and following him. He abandoned his beer beside Jak’s empty bottle to make the climb down the ladder easier. Jak was already at the top of the stairs leading down to the next floor. “Jak, wait a minute.” Torn caught up with him quickly. “What did you wa-mmf.” He was cut off, startled by Jak’s sudden proximity as he kissed him, pushing him backwards against the wall. 

Jak’s lips lingered against his for a moment, and then just as suddenly as it began, the kiss ended. Jak stepped back, looking just as stunned at his own actions as Torn felt. They held one another’s gaze for a second, and then Jak looked away, hanging his head. “Uh. Sorry. I didn’t… I mean, I shouldn’t have done that.”

“I must say, I didn’t expect it from you,” Torn said, finding his voice again. “But I’m still wondering why you’d come to me and not find someone else. I’m not - whatever you’re looking for.”

“What do you know about what I’m looking for?” Jak asked sullenly. “Can we just agree that it was a mistake and move on?”

Torn shrugged. “Just trying to understand your motivations. I’m not gentle. I don’t do affectionate displays. I’m not the kind of person you should be getting involved in this way with.”

Jak kept his gaze on the floor, wrapping his arms around himself. “It doesn’t have to mean anything. I just …needed…” 

Ah. Now Torn thought that perhaps he understood what Jak was getting at. “Just so you’re aware, this is a terrible idea,” he said quietly, pulling Jak closer.

Startled, Jak stumbled forwards. He put his arms out to catch himself instinctively and ended up wrapping them around Torn. “Uh..?”

“This is what you wanted, isn’t it? Human contact, just for a while,” Torn said, muttering into Jak’s hair.

Jak said nothing, but the way he pressed closer was all the answer Torn needed. They stood in silence for a several long minutes. Torn gave in to the urge to thread his fingers through Jak’s long hair. He would have been content to stay like that a little longer - they were in no danger of being discovered so long as Daxter remained asleep, and it wasn’t exactly a hardship to hold Jak like this - but he soon realised Jak was falling asleep against him.

“Hey, you’d better get back to bed,” he said, letting his hands fall back to his sides.

Jak nodded, releasing Torn slowly. “Yeah, I suppose…” He stepped away, turning to go downstairs but just before he vanished from sight, he turned back. “Torn, I-” He hesitated a moment longer. “…Thanks.”

“…Any time,” Torn replied, pausing just long enough to check he really meant it. That he did surprised even himself.

Jak’s lips twitched into a faint smile, probably the most genuine positive emotion Torn had ever seen from him when explosions weren’t involved. Then the younger man retreated downstairs and Torn sought his own bed. 

Getting involved with Jak was probably a terrible idea. There was no way it would end well. Between fighting the Baron’s forces and the metal heads, one or both of them could die any day. Hell, he was probably going to be the one to send Jak to his death. He still had a mission to brief them about in the morning. 

Still, Torn could already tell it was no use denying it. He was getting attached to the brat anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is loved. I may forget to respond, but I cherish every comment and kudos. If you spot any errors, please do let me know. 
> 
> Tumblr: emmageddon.tumblr.com, sometimes has writing updates and stuff.


End file.
